Before you start cutting or drilling the pieces that will make up the top, determine the layout of the top. This should include the dimensions of the MDF, the dimensions of the edging, the locations of the vises, and of the screws or bolts that will support the vises, and of all of the benchdog holes and of all of the drywall screws you will use to laminate the panels,
The base needs to be as wide as the sum of width of the guide strip and the distance from the edge of the shoe, plus a bit extra, With my saw, the overhang is 3-1/2", so I made my guide strip 5-1/2" wide. The distance between from the edge of the shoe to the blade is about 4-1/2", so the base needs to be at least 10" wide. Since I was working with a 24" wide sheet, I just sliced it down the middle.
My name is Takami Kawai and I'm a traditional Japanese carpenter and architect with over 16 years of experience in sustainable design and construction. As much as conditions allow, I enjoy using traditional Japanese techniques. My experience includes working for the world renown, Ise Jingu Grand Shrine. I have also hosted numerous presentations on traditional Japanese woodworking. Now, I run a small construction firm, Suikoushya, which specializes in the restoration of traditional Japanese houses.
Our instructors work out of a 27,000 square-foot facility, where over 100 stationary and portable woodworking machines are available. We emphasize hands-on training and real-world experience, and all classes are project-focused. Over forty different classes cover topics including faceframe and frameless cabinet construction, CNC woodworking, architectural millwork, table and casegood construction, hand tools, woodturning, and veneering.
Put the countertop on the base, put the MDF on top of the countertop, and line up the marks you drew on each end of the MDF with the countertop below it. When you have it lined up, clamp things down, and route the edge of the MDF using a 1-1/2" or longer flush-trim bit, with the depth adjusted so the bearing rides on the countertop. I clamped a couple of scraps of doubled MDF at each end to give the router base something extra to ride on at the ends.
I recently came across this beautiful wooden swing set, which was made in the shape of a boat. Cool, isn’t it? The very first look was enough for me to start loving it. Although I haven’t yet tried building one myself, I am definitely going to. Later I realized that you can also build a baby cradle with the same idea. After all, what can be more calming than the tender rocking of a boat? This swing set will surely help your child get more gentle sleep.

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When you're working with linseed oil, never -- I mean NEVER -- leave used rags lying around. Hang them up outside, away from anything combustible, and where there's enough air circulation to keep them cool. Or put them in a bucket of water, and hang them outside later. If you're just setting a rag down for the moment, set it out flat, without folds, on something non-flammable. Hanging outside in the breeze, the oil in the rags won't retain heat while they oxidize. For the oil to completely oxidize can take in a couple of days, if it's warm, or more than a week, if it's cold and rainy. When fully oxidized, the oil will be solid and the rags will be stiff. At that point, they're safe, and can be thrown in the trash. Toss them in the trash before that, and you might as well say goodbye to your garage.
The next day, cut it flush. Use a block plane to ensure it truly is flush. This will be the top of the bottom layer of the bench top, so gouges aren't a problem. (Wiping up glue with a damp cloth can lead to stains and finishes applying unevenly. That won't be a problem here, either.) But bulges and bumps are a problem - they will keep the two layers of the top from matching up evenly.
The last thing is to semi-permanently attach the bolts for the vises. Given the amount of work necessary to get to the bolt heads, once the top is joined, I had intended to tighten them up so they wouldn't spin, and lock them that way with blue Loctite. (That's the strongest non-permanent grade.) That didn't work. What I found was that the bottoms of the countersinks weren't quite flat, and when I tightened the nuts down that far, the ends of the bolts would be pulled far enough out of alignment that the vise bases would no longer fit. In order for the vises to fit over the bolts, I had to leave the nuts loose enough that the bolts had a bit of wiggle - which meant that they were almost loose enough for the bolts to spin. So I put Loctite on the nuts, to keep them from unscrewing, and filled the countersinks with Liquid Nails, in hopes of keeping the bolts from spinning. I considered using epoxy, or a metal-epoxy mix like JB Weld, but I didn't have enough of either on hand. It seems to be working for now, though the real test won't be until I have to take the vises off.
Next is the shelf. Start with the 24x48" piece of MDF. Clamp this on top of the base, and pencil in the outside of the stretchers and the inside angle of the legs. Flip it over, pull out your trusty cutting guide, and cut it to width and to length. Cutting out the angles is simple, with a jig saw. It's not much work with a hand saw. If you took enough care with supporting blocks and stops, you could probably do it with a circular saw. Since I did have a jig saw, I used it.
Build a shed yourself and use it as "on the job training." Those straw built sheds are rinky dink. The people who throw them together are even more sketchy than the finished product. You will be tearing it apart and hauling it out within a few years. Or end up having to reinforce the building with more braces and another layer of flooring. Thats my 99 cents. Its not hard to build a shed especially one of that size. Cowboy up and give it a shot.
In the Port Townsend School of Woodworking’s twelve-week Woodworking Foundation course, you will learn the essential skills, tools and mindsets of the traditional joiner. This is NOT an industrial arts course with a focus on machinery and production processes. Rather, it is a course in PRE-industrial artisanship--the creation of individual works through mostly hand tools and skills..
A better solution would have been to route a rabbet into the side, so that the added strip always had thickness. The way I did it means that the strip I glued in is very narrow, and hence very weak, at a certain point. In this case, that's not a problem, because it's going to be sitting under the countertop layer. I also noticed that because I had only clamped the strip down, and not into the edge, there was a noticeable glue gap where the strip butted up against the MDF. Again, in this application it isn't visible. But if I was doing something like this on the top of a table, I'd make sure to cut a clean rabbet, and to clamp both down and in.
Having done all this, I'm not sure I'd do it this way again. It might well be faster to layout the positions with compass and straightedge directly onto the top. Either way, you'll want to use a scribe rather than a pencil. Scribe lines are hard to see, and impossible to photograph, but the scribe and compass points click into them, allowing a precision that pencils simply cannot match.
Having done all this, I'm not sure I'd do it this way again. It might well be faster to layout the positions with compass and straightedge directly onto the top. Either way, you'll want to use a scribe rather than a pencil. Scribe lines are hard to see, and impossible to photograph, but the scribe and compass points click into them, allowing a precision that pencils simply cannot match.
The edges of MDF are fragile, easily crushed or torn. MDF is also notorious for absorbing water through these edges, causing the panels to swell. In Sam Allen's original design, he edged the MDF with 1/4" hardboard. This edging is one of the complexities that Asa Christiana left out in his simplified design. I think this was a mistake. MDF really needs some sort of protection, especially on the edges.

Build on the skills you developed in Woodworking I through the construction of a small cabinet. Woodworking II introduces students to miter and dado joints, hardware installation, and re-sawing on the bandsaw. Please bring a sketch for a small cabinet you would like to build to the first class. NOTE: Students are responsible for their own materials in this class.

to allow 9' at the peak, I like a "shed style" roof, but that may not fly in your HOA.I'd put double doors on or one large one, pour a slab, or use patio blocks then lay down Wolman. plywood for a floor, I would use foam insulating board everywhere I could, walls, floor and ceiling. A few bin type windows or sliders would let in light and fresh air. If you can't get away with your wiring idea, I would use a HD 30 amp twist lock extension cord with an "outside weatherproof outlet" mounted on the home professionally installed for code, 2- 8' long flouresent lights, and a 20 amp outlet inside for a heater and dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers draw about 5-6 amps. You might be better off with a small 6000 BTU window or wall mounted AC unit,( $100 on sale at the Depot), it will take the moisture out of the air and cool it as well in the summer. I'd use thin wall conduit around the shop with about 4 double duplex boxes. You may be able to bring 220v. in and then split into 2-120v circuits. If you make ANY dust in this confined space you must first catch it with a shop vac, then filter the air, and wear a mask. A bathroom ventilator fan would exchange the air and be quiet. A slab in front would allow sawing outside weather permitting. A roll up canopy over the door way would provide "shade" and rain protection. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but I know you can do it if you try. You can get plenty of "free" advice here and from an expert close to you. My neighbor enlisted the help of a handyman for building his 2 sheds and they became friends and did tool swaps and labor trades for time worked. My advice to you.. go 4 it! bill